


9 Signs You're Dating a Socioapth

by TheWinterSldier



Series: When Worlds Collide [3]
Category: Captain America - All Media Types
Genre: Abusive Relationship, Brock is a sociopath, Bucky is a little oblivious, M/M, Natasha Is a Good Bro, Toxic Relationship, but he realises soon enough, part of my When Worlds Collide series, pre-stucky
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-08
Updated: 2017-06-08
Packaged: 2018-11-11 08:55:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11145105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWinterSldier/pseuds/TheWinterSldier
Summary: Modern AU. Set before When Worlds Collide, can be read as a stand-alone.Natasha sends Bucky a link to a YouTube video called "9 Signs You're Dating a Sociopath", referring to Bucky's relationship with Brock Rumlow. Bucky is reluctant, but he watches the video and realises that he is, in fact, dating a sociopath and he needs out.





	9 Signs You're Dating a Socioapth

_9 Signs You’re Dating a Sociopath._

 

Bucky shouldn’t have really been surprise when he clicked on the link Natasha sent him and it took him to a YouTube video with that kind of title. She had said it before. Many times before. But Brock wasn’t that bad.

Really, he wasn’t.

He could be sweet, and gentle, and loving.

Others just didn’t see that side to him very often, because it was just for Bucky, when they were curled up in Brock’s bed or on his couch after sex, when he would write his name over Bucky’s heart with his finger.

They just saw the side of Brock that kept a protective arm around Bucky whenever anyone so much as glanced at him. People called it possessive, but Bucky was sure protective was the right word. He knew what Bucky had been through with his father, he just wanted to make sure no one else hurt him, and that was sweet.

They saw the Brock who broke a guy’s arm because it was across Bucky’s shoulders. Sure, the guy had been Bucky’s friend, and Bucky tried to stop Brock from hurting him, but Brock was just… Emotional. He felt things hard, and sometimes if he misinterpreted a situation it would be hard to explain to him what is really happening because he would be too emotional. But that was a good thing, right? That he was emotional? At least Bucky didn’t have to guess what he was feeling or what he thought about something, Brock always told him or showed it in some way that was not up for interpretation.

Like breaking his friend’s arm.

Bucky didn’t think Brock was a sociopath. He had his problems, but it wasn’t that much of a big deal. Bucky had issues too, it would be unfair to label Brock as a bad person and say Bucky is fine, even if their issues weren’t exactly the same. Brock was just a little more hot-headed than Bucky.

Even so, Bucky decided to give Natasha the benefit of the doubt. She was his best friend, even now, when a lot of his other friends had started to avoid Bucky. He wasn’t sure why they were avoiding him, but Natasha said it was because of Brock. Well, if that was true then fine, Bucky didn’t want to be around them either. He loved Brock, and if they couldn’t see past his issues and see that he was a good person and be happy that Bucky was happy with him, then he didn’t need them.

Natasha had been the first to call out all of Brock’s shit, and she was one of the first to actually say Brock is abusive, but she still stuck around despite Bucky yelling at her every time she used that word to describe Brock.

He wasn’t abusive, he was just insecure. And it’s not like Bucky was perfect, he had his own flaws. He was too clingy sometimes, too nice, he gave too much of himself to others who needed help, even if what they needed help with wasn’t a big deal. Even if someone else could help them, Bucky was still the first to volunteer. Brock said that made him weak and meant that people had the opportunity to walk all over him because of it. People used him for what he so readily offered, Brock had told him. Natasha said that Brock did that more than anyone else.

One of the few things Brock and Nat agreed on was that Bucky was too kind sometimes, and he needed to learn to say no to people. Brock meant he had to say no to other people, but Nat was referring to saying no to Brock more. But, again, Bucky didn’t see the issue with what Brock asked of him. Sometimes he needed to borrow money, but that’s because Brock was between jobs and he needed a little help making ends meet. Bucky still had plenty of money left to him in his parents’ wills, so he could afford it. Sometimes he didn’t give the money back, but Bucky was okay with that too. He was sure Brock would pay him back when he could.

Sometimes Brock was a little more forward about sex, but again, Bucky didn’t see the issue. He saw that as a good thing, it meant Brock found him attractive enough to be persistent about sex. If he only found him a little bit attractive, he’d back off when Bucky said he didn’t want to and wouldn’t care so much. But when he said he’s not in the mood, Brock kept pushing and trying until eventually Bucky gave him what he wanted, and it was nice to feel that wanted. And he didn’t mind how rough it got sometimes. It just showed that Brock was very passionate about how much he liked him.

Natasha said that if Bucky says he doesn’t want to have sex, Brock should respect that and immediately back off, but she doesn’t get it.

Natasha doesn’t understand a lot of things that go on between Brock and Bucky, but at least she was still around and still willing to listen when Bucky needed to talk to someone about their fights.

Because yeah, their relationship wasn’t perfect, they fought a lot. And sometimes the fights got really intense and sometimes Brock would take a swing at Bucky without thinking, but he always apologised after and he always promised it’ll never happen again. He even cried sometimes, begging Bucky to forgive him, which he always did. He never actually landed a hit on him, and Bucky believed that was because he didn’t really want to hurt him, so the logical part of his brain told him to miss. Natasha said it was more because Bucky had quick reflexes. Brock punched the walls a lot instead, then he’d complain that his hand hurt. Bucky told him it wouldn’t hurt if he didn’t punch the wall, but Brock always said he does it to protect Bucky. Sometimes his temper got the better of him and he needed to hit something, so to stop himself from hitting Bucky, he hit the wall instead. He did it to keep Bucky safe. Then they would have the best make up sex ever.

Brock was always the kindest then, the most loving and attentive. Natasha said he just did it to manipulate Bucky into staying with him, and Bucky didn’t miss the fire he saw in Natasha’s eyes whenever he talked about an argument between him and Brock.

Maybe watching the video would help give Bucky a place to start when he explained that Brock wasn’t so bad, and he was not a sociopath. He can go through each point and explain how it does not apply to Brock. So, after careful deliberation, he pressed play.

“ _One; they’re motivated solely by their own personal desires.”_

Right off the bat, Bucky knew this was a good idea. This one clearly didn’t apply to Brock. Sure, he borrowed money off him a lot and he always wanted to eat at Bucky’s so they could use his stuff, and he was very forward when he wanted to have sex, but he had already justified all that. Brock needed money, he wasn’t a very good cook, and he was very passionate about how much he loved Bucky and wanted to prove it as often as possible.

“ _If you talk to them about making the world a better place, they won’t be motivated.”_

Well, that was true. Bucky often talked about how the world could be better, and Brock always lost interest immediately and wanted to talk about something else, or outright told Bucky it was stupid and to forget about the rest of the world. He argued that they don’t owe the rest of the world a thing, and Bucky should just focus on Brock instead. Each other is all that mattered. But Bucky always thought that was sweet, that Brock didn’t care about the world, only Bucky.

“ _In a relationship context, only things like money, sex, food or whatever you can offer are interesting to them.”_

Those are things Brock took from him, but he only took them because he needed them or Bucky was willing to give him them. They weren’t the only things Brock cared about Bucky for. Natasha would argue differently, but she didn’t see their relationship in full. She only saw what Brock was like around others, and he wasn’t the same then as he was in private. They argued in private, but they also loved each other in private. Brock let Bucky cuddle up to his side when they’re alone and held him tight, whispering how much he loved him and kissing any part of his skin he could reach. Most of the time it led to sex, but Bucky didn’t mind too much. He liked sex, and Brock was pretty good at it. Sometimes it did occur to him that Brock may care a little more about having sex in general than sex with Bucky specifically, but when he brought that up to him Brock got angry with him, accusing him of being paranoid. So Bucky dropped it.

“ _Two; they are highly manipulative.”_

That’s a phrase Natasha used a lot. She always called him manipulative. Brock wasn’t manipulative, though. He was just honest about what he wanted, and as his boyfriend it was Bucky’s job to make sure he got whatever he wanted, whether it was money, a blowjob, food, time with just the two of them and no one else…

_“They find your weak spots and take advantage of them. They socially isolate you from your friends and even your family.”_

Okay, so Bucky had lost a few friends during the course of his relationship with Brock, but that wasn’t Brock’s fault. Some people that used to be his friends, Brock had told Bucky to stop hanging out with, but that wasn’t to manipulate him or isolate him, it was just because they weren’t good friends and Brock was looking out for him, making sure Bucky didn’t waste his time with people who weren’t good for him. He was a little confused when Brock told him to stop hanging out with someone he had been friends with for years, Cameron had never done anything to him. They had never even had an argument. Cameron had never taken anything from Bucky, and if he borrowed money or something he always paid Bucky back, he always looked out for him and stood up for him when he was bullied for dancing... But Brock said that Cameron was talking about him behind his back. He said Cameron told Brock that Bucky was a slut and he probably had a bunch of STDs. He said Cameron called Becca a bitch and a burden on everyone. Naturally, Bucky believed Brock and called Cameron a liar when he tried to claim he didn’t do anything wrong. That was three months ago, and Cameron hadn’t tried to contact Bucky and explain since, so Brock was probably right.

In terms of family, it’s not like Bucky had a lot of family to be isolated from. He had distant relatives, but since his parents died he hadn’t really seen any of them. It was just him and Becca, and it was impossible to isolate them from each other, they lived together.

A small part of Bucky’s brain told him that maybe that was the only reason he hadn’t been isolated from her, because it was impossible. A voice that sounded suspiciously like Natasha told him that if they didn’t live together, Bucky may not be around Becca as much as he was before he was with Brock. He had noticed that Becca tended to spend more time in her room or in the basement whenever Brock was at their house, and she would always look irritated when Bucky said Brock was coming over. But, he argued to himself, she’s his little sister. Of course she wouldn’t exactly be comfortable around the guy fucking her brother. It was normal for people to be uncomfortable around their sibling’s partner, right?

“ _Three; they don’t walk the walk. Your partner will tell you to do one thing, then do another.”_

The video talked about a partner being hypocritical, and honestly Bucky couldn’t really argue with that one. Just the same as the example the video gave, Brock would always yell at Bucky if he was late for dates or meeting Brock for any reason, but Brock was always late when Bucky was waiting for him. Bucky couldn’t bring this up to him, because Brock would then get angry about _Bucky_ being a hypocrite and always being late himself. And if Bucky did get angry with him, Brock would call him disrespectful and say he didn’t appreciate Brock enough, and say Bucky was lucky he stayed with him for so long with all the shit Bucky put him through.

Natasha had been angry when she heard about that, and Bucky was starting to see what she meant when she said that Brock wasn’t doing him a favour by staying with him. Still, Bucky didn’t want to fight with him, so he didn’t bring it up.

_“Four; they lack sympathy.”_

Well, that was a little true. Brock had empathy, he could tell when Bucky was sad or angry, but he just didn’t really do anything about it. When Brock was upset, Bucky did anything he could to make him feel better. He would apologise if it was him who made up mad or sad, and he would trip over himself to make Brock smile again, even going as far as taking a day off from work to focus on Brock and cheering him up.

_“When you’re feeling sad they simply don’t see it as something that should concern them, but rather as an opportunity to exploit your perceived weakness.”_

Bucky tried to justify it, but there had been occasions where Bucky felt like Brock was using his insecurities against him. Bucky was once a bit down about something stupid about his appearance. He couldn’t even remember what it was, maybe something about his hair not looking right. Something stupid, anyway. Brock had made a joke about how it made him feel better that Bucky didn’t look good, because he knew no one else would deal with Bucky looking like that, and anyone else would dump him for it. Bucky had actually _thanked_ him for staying with him.

That was one of the instances Natasha had referred to when talking about how Brock was trying to make Bucky feel like no one else would want him in order to make Bucky stay with him, and as much as he tried to push those thoughts away, Bucky was starting to think she had a point. He would never say anything like that to Brock, and there were a lot of things he did that Bucky didn’t believe many other people would put up with. The nice times they had together were amazing, but sometimes the fights made it hard to see the good times as worth the bad.

_“Five; they don’t take responsibility. When confronted on their behaviour and asked to change their ways, they will say yes to keep you by their side. However, there won’t be any actual changes, continuing this cycle of mistreatment and miscommunication.”_

The words triggered a memory in Bucky’s mind, one he had tried to repress because it was one of the worst arguments they had ever had. Bucky was stressed about work and Becca was getting into trouble at school, adding to his list of things to worry about. Brock had showed up at his house unannounced one night, after Becca had gone to bed. Bucky said he wasn’t in the mood to see anyone tonight, but Brock came in anyway and made himself at home on the couch. That usually didn’t bother Bucky, he usually liked how comfortable Brock was in his home, but he couldn’t help the flair of annoyance he had felt that time. He asked Brock to leave, and Brock had gotten mad at him. He didn’t handle rejection well, and he started yelling at Bucky about how he knew he didn’t like rejection, but Bucky was too tired to apologise or ask for forgiveness. He started yelling back, completely forgetting that Becca was home and supposedly asleep. They screamed at each other for a while, then Brock went to punch Bucky. Bucky managed to duck in time and Brock hit the wall instead. He hit the wall another few times to try and get all his anger out, and Bucky had been afraid of him for the first time since Brock first lost his temper around him at the beginning of their relationship.

He hadn’t even realised he was crying until then and Bucky stepped away from his quickly, then sank down on the couch as he kept crying. He told Brock to leave when he had calmed down enough to listen to him, he told him he wanted to break up with him, but Brock had started crying then. He fell to his knees in front of Bucky and begged him not to leave him. He promised he would change if Bucky just gave him a chance.

Brock had seemed so sincere, Bucky believed him. And it was good, for about a week. Then it went right back to how it used to be, with Bucky desperate to make Brock happy and Brock doing whatever he wanted regardless of Bucky’s feelings or wishes.

But it was okay, Bucky tried to justify to himself. They didn’t argue quite as much as they used to, and Bucky just had to be more considerate and not upset Brock, then everything would be fine. The voice of Natasha in his head told him that they didn’t fight as much because Bucky didn’t call him out on his shit anymore, so he could avoid it. He just told that voice to shut up.

_“Six; they constantly insult you. Your partner’s jabs don’t always have to be direct. Say you’re wearing an outfit similar to someone else you both encounter. Your partner might make a comment about how ugly and gross the other person’s clothes are, and if you confront them they’ll accuse you of being paranoid and play the victim.”_

Again, there had been similar instances when they had seen someone wearing the same jacket or t-shirt as Bucky and Brock had made nasty comments about how they looked. Bucky had never confronted him about it before, so maybe he wasn’t doing it on purpose and if Bucky said something about it Brock may apologise. But even as he thought it, Bucky couldn’t ever imagine that conversation with Brock.

_“Seven; you’re always guilty. You’re the one at fault for every mishap and you partner will never admit when they’re wrong. They’ll manipulate situations to become the victim when they’re clearly not. In the end, you’re the one apologising.”_

Bucky tried not to think about it much, but when he heard that point his mind immediately turned to when Brock cheated on him. It was a month ago and Bucky had tried so hard to forget about it and move on, keep looking forward in their relationship and not back.

But he couldn’t stop thinking about it now. He still remembered the sounds he heard when he walked into Brock’s apartment, the same way he did every day after work at the same time as he did every day he was working. Brock knew he was working that day, and he knew Bucky was coming around that night.

Natasha said he probably did it on purpose so Bucky would catch them, so Brock could see how far he could push before Bucky said enough.

Bucky didn’t know the guy he was with, Brock probably hadn’t even known him for more than however long it took to get from the bar to Brock’s bed. The strangest thing was that Bucky was upset, but he didn’t start shouting at him or crying. He walked into the bedroom, took a second to take in the shocking image in front of him, then just turned and walked out. Brock ran after him, and all Bucky could think was that he was glad he had managed to pull on his boxers before he came after him. He grabbed Bucky’s arm before he could make it to the door and Bucky had struggled to pull his arm from his grip. The bruises from his hold on him had lasted a few weeks, and Bucky was almost proud of them, wearing them like a badge of honour, because they were proof of how badly Brock didn’t want to lose him.

Brock yelled at the guy to leave, and Bucky actually felt a little sorry for him as he gathered his clothes and hurried out of the apartment in confusion. It wasn’t that guy’s fault, he probably didn’t know Brock was in a relationship, and he probably didn’t know Bucky would show up either.

He insisted that Bucky had driven him to it, and Bucky had gotten angry then. But Brock made some good points. Bucky had been working a lot around that time and he hadn’t had enough time for Brock. They only really hung out for ten minutes when Bucky had a lunch break, and in order for them to meet up in those times Brock had to come all the way to the construction site Bucky was working on. They hadn’t slept together in about two weeks, and Bucky could tell Brock was getting irritated about it. He often got mad a Bucky whenever he said he was too tired to meet up after work. But Brock had actually agreed not to show up at his house, and that was something at least.

Bucky had ended up apologising and promising to spend more time with Brock whenever he could. It meant getting less sleep, but it was worth it when Brock promised that as long as Bucky spent more time with him, he wouldn’t go looking for affection elsewhere. What he and the random guy had been doing didn’t exactly look affectionate, but Bucky didn’t argue.

_“Eight: they’ll project their insecurities on you and everyone else. This is a result of their narcissism and manipulation habits, as they’re always trying to look perfect or at least better than everybody else.”_

_“Nine; they can adapt themselves. In negative ways, they will adapt to the situation and to you if you need be. For example, they may yell at you, making you shut up and playing with your emotions. But when you lash out, they promise to change. In the long run, however, they actually become more manipulative, causing you to become more insecure.”_

As the video ended, Bucky was left staring at the screen of his phone. The last few points… They were pretty accurate, and Bucky couldn’t bring himself to try and excuse Brock for them anymore. Maybe Natasha had a point. Maybe Bucky was excusing behaviour he shouldn’t be putting up with. Maybe Brock was a sociopath.

He must have been staring at his phone for about twenty minutes in silence, thinking through everything in the video and everything Natasha had said to him throughout his and Brock’s relationship. He thought about what Bucky would do if he found out Natasha was in a relationship that matched the one Bucky was in with Brock. He’d probably punch the guy, and it was probably only out of respect for Bucky’s choices that she hadn’t done so to Brock. He knew Becca hated Brock too, and he was starting to see now why. She was present for a lot of their arguments, either by being in the same room or in the house at the time, able to hear them screaming at each other and Brock occasionally threatening Bucky. The threats were empty, Bucky was pretty sure of that, Brock wouldn’t really hurt him…

But maybe Natasha was right, he hadn’t hurt him because Bucky had been able to duck fast enough. What would he do if Brock actually did hit him? Would Brock make up excuses, saying it was Bucky’s fault for riling him up in the first place or not getting out of the way fast enough? Would Bucky believe him?

It was like a plate shattering. This image Bucky had made in his head of how their relationship may not be perfect but it was _good_ collapsed. He was suddenly able to see all the flaws in their relationship, in Brock. He wasn’t perfect, he wasn’t kind…

He didn’t love Bucky.

He wanted to own him. He liked having someone who was almost solely his, and Bucky was willing to give him that. Other people wouldn’t be willing to put up with this shit, that’s why he liked Bucky so much and why he was so desperate to keep him around. He gave Brock everything he could ask for, despite any damage it did to Bucky’s own mental health or life in general.

He didn’t love Bucky.

Bucky went back onto his messages, Natasha’s text still open, and clicked back to see all his texts. He opened the conversation with Brock and frowned when he read the previous night’s messages. Brock had been mad about something, nothing to do with Bucky, but Bucky had apologised and offered to drive to Brock’s place at three in the morning to keep him company and cheer him up. Brock’s response had been: “ _Well you are my boyfriend, it’s kinda your job. Doors unlocked.”_

And Bucky had gone over. Brock didn’t thank him for coming, just told him to get undressed. The sex was too violent, Brock seemed to be taking all his anger out on Bucky, and at the time Bucky had just been happy that Brock seemed more relaxed by the time they were done. It hurt, and Bucky had asked him to stop or slow down several times, but Brock had told him to shut up and let him finish. Bucky had felt bad about irritating him when he was supposed to be making him feel better.

Looking back, Bucky was angry at Brock for using him to get out his frustration and not appreciating the effort Bucky was putting in to help him, and he almost sent a text to Brock explaining how angry he had made him and how he wanted to break up with him, but he stopped himself. He had tried that before, flat-out telling him he wanted to break up and it didn’t work. Brock kept finding a way to make Bucky stay with him.

He needed help.

He clicked back and went onto Natasha’s messages again.

“ _Okay, I see your point. Help me.”_

He stared at the message for a few more seconds, then changed it a little.

“ _Okay, I get it now. Help me break up with him.”_

No, that seemed too demanding, he didn’t want to demand Natasha’s help. Looking back at all she had stuck with him through, he owed her a lot.

_“Okay, I get it now. Help me break up with him? Please?”_

That seemed a little pathetic, but Bucky was feeling pretty pathetic now, so he just kicked send and waited.

She called him almost immediately and assured him that she would happily help him end his relationship with Brock. He could hear the smile in her voice, but he couldn’t bring himself to be mad about it. He kind of wanted to smile himself, and Bucky couldn’t help but think that was a good sign. He was doing the right thing.

Breaking up with Brock was the right thing to do, he was sure of it now.


End file.
